Courtesy of Muhammad Umar Husein

It took Muhammad Umar Husein two years of intensive research to become convinced of the economic potential of roselle, and nearly as long to convince farmers in Palembang, South Sumatra to grow it.

“The deciding moment came when I went to the agricultural research center in Bogor,” Umar says of his decision to start cultivating roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), a plant that is rapidly gaining popularity as word of its health benefits spreads.

“I was surprised because it appears that the plant, which has long been ignored and grows wild in the dense forest, has so many health benefits. Knowing that, I was optimistic about cultivation.”

The Palembang farmers he approached to partner with him in his endeavor were less optimistic. As they could see no commercial value in growing roselle as a crop, they weren’t interested.

But Umar is not one to give up easily. He also isn’t one to waste time. He decided instead to start cultivating it in his hometown of Tanjung Batu village in Ogan Ilir regency. There, the results did the talking.

“After the first harvest many village people were surprised that all the plants were sold, even though I had explained the benefits,” he says. “Now the communities are planting it for their own consumption.”

He went back to the farmers who had turned him down, using the success in his own village as proof. This time, they were all ears, bringing in their friends and relatives to be part of the roselle cultivation.

Umar distributed roselle seedlings to the farmers, and trained them in planting, maintenance and harvesting so they could produce high-quality flowers. Six years later, he has at least 200 farmers growing the crop across Sumatra, making him the pioneer of commercial roselle cultivation in Sumatra.

Through his company, CV Keluarga Mandiri, Umar stored and marketed the roselle grown by the farmers. They provide between 400 and 700 kilograms of dried roselle each month, which sells for Rp 50,000 per kilogram. Buyers come from across the country, and there has been interest from those looking to sell it into Malaysia.

And, Umar says, there is room to grow. Consider Malaysia and China, where it is already widely produced and consumed, and further abroad.

“In Saudi Arabia, roselle is considered to be a kingly beverage,” Umar adds. “There roselle is known as yaman tea.”

But as demand grew and the success of Umar and his farmers became known, the market saw a boom in the number and range of roselle products – some of which did not have a permit. And some of which blatantly copied his own products – a situation he faces with equanimity.

“They also want to make an income,” he says.

For nothing will dampen his enthusiasm for his obsession.

“One day I hope that roselle will become part of people’s lives so that people’s health can be improved.”

Although roselle was a new venture to Umar, now nearly 51, helping local people was not: He is the leader and founder of an NGO called Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Mandiri (PM2) Palembang, or The Palembang Independent Society for Empowering People.

This institution, which Umar and some friends founded in 1993, is a vehicle to help overcome poverty, a struggle he has been actively involved in since high school.

“It’s important not just to build self-confidence, but also to get involved in organizations where we learn how to face and overcome conflict,” he says. “We need to be aware that the problems aren’t straightforward, but are more complex.”

Umar says he and his partners were aware that most government initiatives to combat poverty fail; he claims that such programs produce little apart from endless reports and talkfests for officials.

Alternative professional programs designed to eliminate poverty tend to be funded by international institutions, he adds.

“This implies that people in other countries, through funding or NGOs, more often take the side of the Indonesian poor than our own government does,” he says.

Umar believes it is important to distinguish among the different types of poor — such as the elderly, beggars, children — and that each type needs a different strategy and approach.

“The karitatif or charitable approach is quite appropriate in helping the elderly poor, the vulnerable and children. But it isn’t appropriate to build the small businesses that are managed by poor people, because these people, to different degrees, can envisage hope, self-esteem and life spirit. Even their dreams differ,” he says.

“The approaches that are taken to eliminate poverty will involve many factors and emotions including people’s spirits, whether they are lazy, what they consume and the level of corruption, which often affects other poor people who run businesses that are progressive and clean.”

As the government definition of a small business in one with assets of at least Rp 1 billion (US$100,000), businesses run by poor people are classified as micro businesses.

“So if they are classified as micro businesses they aren’t affected by banking requirements and the BUMN [state-owned enterprises], which set aside part of their profits to develop cooperatives and small business development projects,” he says.

The way Umar sees it, economic poverty is about more than just lack of money; it is also related to knowledge, skills, motivation, spiritual beliefs and social issues. This is why, he says, any attempts to increase opportunities for small businesses run by the poor need to adopt a holistic framework.

“The real situation of poor families can’t be measured by the size of their income … but by the influence of other factors, such as motivation and targets and their way of life as human beings.”

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